Ryanair "sexy schoolgirl"
advertisement offends ASA

31 January, 2008

Budget airline Ryanair is in trouble
with the UK Advertising Standards
Authority (ASA) over a print
advertisement, yet again.

Recently, Ryanair had faced criticism
over its advertising, with the office
of French president Nicolas Sarkozy
threatening legal action over an
advertisement used by the airline
depicting the president and his
girlfriend Carla Bruni.

Now Ryanair is in trouble over an ad
that features a model dressed as a
schoolgirl in a scantily clad pose
announcing the airline’s theme
‘Hottest Back-to-School Fares’.
According to the Advertising Standards
Authority, the advertisement appeared
to link teenage girls with sexually
provocative behavior. Terming the ad
as irresponsible and likely to cause
serious or widespread offence, the ASA
has called for withdrawal of the ad
campaign.

Ryanair's head of communications Peter
Sherrard has said that it is
remarkable that a picture of a fully
clothed model is now claimed to cause
serious or widespread offence. He
further added that many of the UK's
newspapers regularly run pictures of
topless or partially dressed females
without causing any serious or
widespread offence.

He was quoted by a web report as
saying that at a time when TV and
media advertising abounds in
suggestive and provocative images,
Ryanair believes that there is nothing
either irresponsible or offensive in
this particular advertisement.